Login Form

The Dundalk Renaissance Corporation (DRC) is spreading the word — now is a great time to invest in Dundalk. To that end, the DRC will host the first Dundalk Housing Fair and Neighborhood Tours event at Dundalk/Sollers Point Technical High School on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free event will provide information for anyone looking to invest in Dundalk housing — from prospective homebuyers and renters to current homeowners looking to renovate. The fair will feature a variety of exhibitors, including real estate agents, mortgage lenders, housing specialists and renovation experts. A full list of exhibitors is available on the DRC’s Unexpected Dundalk website at www.unexpecteddundalk.com. Participants will learn about first-time home buyer and grant programs, credit repair and more by attending workshops and one-on-one counseling sessions. The event will also include narrated bus tours of Dundalk neighborhoods, including stops at homes for sale. Fair attendees will also learn about incentives for prospective home owners, including a $5,000 county-backed grant being offered to up to thirty homebuyers.
In order to receive the grant, home buyers must purchase a home in the 21222 zip code and live there for five years. Eligible recipients must attend a county-approved homebuyer education course and have an income above 80 percent of the area media income for the Baltimore region. For more on eligibility requirements, including a chart of eligible incomes, visit the Unexpected Dundalk website. According to DRC marketing coordinator Diane Lesman, the housing fair is one part of DRC’s strategy for revitalizing Dundalk. DRC is hoping to attract a more diverse demographic to the area, comprising a wide variety of family styles, ages, professions and incomes. In an effort to draw new residents to the area, DRC’s recently-launched “Unexpected Dundalk” campaign promotes the area’s many amenities. As Lesman pointed out, Dundalk offers waterfront homes, easy highway access, good schools, a variety of well-known restaurants and expanding employment opportunities — including the new Amazon warehouse being built on the former General Motors site. She also pointed to new housing development. including the new townhomes being built at the former North Point Drive-In site and plans for townhomes at the former Seagram’s distillery, as evidence of Dundalk’s growth. In addition, she noted, Dundalk offers a lower cost of living than many adjacent areas. “I think people think of Dundalk as a vanishing steel town and nothing could be further from the truth,” Lesman said. According to DRC housing coordinator Jen Wassmann, the public response to the upcoming fair has been positive. “We’re already working on next year’s event,” she noted. For now, Lesman, Wassmann and others at the DRC are working to dispel myths and spread the word about Dundalk charms. As Lesman concluded, “Ignore the image; invest in Dundalk.” For more information, or to register for the Dundalk Housing Fair and Neighborhood Tours, call 410-282-0261 or visit the web at www.unexpecteddundalk.com.